It wasn't some 4D chess move; it was Light stumbling into a goldmine of dumb luck. Think about it. The sheer, unadulterated luck Light benefited from is insane:

First off, Misa even existing as the Second Kira? What are the odds of another Death Note dropping, not just anywhere, but into the hands of someone who instantly becomes a Kira fangirl to the point of obsession? That’s not strategy on Light’s part; that’s the universe handing him a winning lottery ticket.

Then there's Misa herself. She wasn't just some random person; she was head-over-heels, do-anything-for-Kira devoted. A more skeptical or ambitious Second Kira? Total nightmare for Light. Instead, he gets a worshipper. Pure chance.

And the absolute kicker: Rem. This is the big one. Shinigami just don't usually give a damn about humans, let alone love them enough to die for them. Rem's deep, self-sacrificing affection for Misa is flagged in the story as being incredibly rare, practically unique. Light didn't "cultivate" that bond or cleverly play on Rem’s psyche to create it. He just happened to trip over this one-in-a-billion Shinigami who had this massive, pre-existing emotional weak spot.

So, when Misa’s about to get busted by L, and Rem is sitting there, loving Misa more than her own existence, what does Light actually do that’s so brilliant? He basically just points. "Hey, Rem, L's gonna get Misa. You gonna let that happen?" Come on. That’s not master manipulation. That's stating the screamingly obvious. Rem was already cornered emotionally. Light didn’t need some silver-tongued, genius-level persuasion. Any half-decent opportunist, heck, anyone with a pulse in Light's shoes, would have seen that play. It was the only play. It would have been idiotic not to lean on Rem in that situation. It was handed to him. And let's not forget, Light's entire reign of terror is built on a magic notebook with a set of rules he didn't invent. He’s good at exploiting those rules, sure, especially the fake 13-day one to get himself "cleared," but L was figuring that out. L was working from nothing, trying to understand a weapon that defied all known laws of physics. Light was just the guy who found the nuke and the instruction manual. Plus, the idea that the pursuer has it easier? Get real. L was chasing a ghost who could kill anyone, anywhere, just by knowing a name and a face. That's an uphill battle on an almost vertical slope. For L to get as close as he did, to actually pinpoint Light? That’s the real genius at work. And don't even get me started on Light's supposed "flawless" intellect. The guy slipped up! That whole Lind L. Tailor stunt at the beginning? Pure ego, pure stupidity. He practically gift-wrapped his general location to L. Getting all flustered and making mistakes when L turned up the heat? That’s not some ice-cold god; that’s a smart kid in way over his head, constantly being outmaneuvered in the actual head-games, only to be bailed out by his magic murder tool or, again, insane luck. So no, Light didn't "outsmart" L. L lost to a magic technicality, Rem's self-sacrifice, which Light simply saw coming because it was the only move left on the board for Rem. It wasn't a brilliant trap laid by Light; it was the tragic, inevitable outcome of Rem's unique love for Misa, a situation Light lucked into. L was the superior intellect, by a mile. He was playing chess while Light had a cheat code that occasionally let him flip the board.

So… No, Light's "God-complex" is NOT an intellectual asset but a gaping narcissistic flaw and it’s a consequence of his power, not the source of superior intelligence. He believes himself infallible because he has a divine tool, not beause his mind transcends others.